Control device for injection molding machine and control method for injection molding machine

ABSTRACT

A control device of an injection molding machine, for controlling operations of multiple elements operating during the period of mold closing or mold opening, includes: an operation starting condition setting unit for, concerning at least part of the elements, setting an operation starting condition of one of the elements that operates in conjunction with another one thereof by an operator operating an operation unit; a group setting unit for classifying the elements based on the operation starting conditions so that elements operating in conjunction with each other belong to the same group; an operation sequence setting unit for setting order of the operations of the elements belonging to the same group based on the operation starting conditions; and a drive command generator for generating drive commands for driving the injection molding machine so as to cause the elements belonging to the same group to operate in the set order.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-204403 filed on Oct. 23, 2017, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a control device and a control methodfor an injection molding machine, configured to issue commands foroperation or actuation of multiple elements which operate at the time ofmold opening and closing thereof.

Description of the Related Art

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-036976 discloses a coreoperation setting device which enables the operator to set the order ofcommands for starting an operation for inserting a core into the mold,checking whether the core is inserted into the mold, and ending theoperation for inserting the core into the mold.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

When a plurality of elements are actuated when the mold is closed oropened, it is necessary to actuate each element in an appropriate orderin order to prevent damage to the mold or other failures. In thetechnology of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-036976, itis necessary to set the operations of cores, one by one, in order tooperate the machine in the appropriate order regarding the plural cores.However, this technology may increase the number of steps for performingthe core operation setup task.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problem, andit is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a controldevice and a control method for an injection molding machine, whichallow an operator to easily set the operations of a plurality ofelements which are actuated during the period of closing or opening themold.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a control deviceof an injection molding machine, for controlling operations of multipleelements that operate during the period of mold closing of a mold orduring the period of mold opening of the mold in an injection moldingmachine, includes: an operation starting condition setting unitconfigured to, for at least part of the multiple elements, set anoperation starting condition of one element of the elements thatoperates in conjunction with another element of the elements, by anoperator operating an operation unit; a group setting unit configured tomake settings so as to classify the multiple elements based on the setoperation starting conditions of the elements so that elements thatoperate in conjunction with each other belong to the same group; anoperation sequence setting unit configured to set the order of theoperations of the elements belonging to the same group based on the setoperation starting conditions of the elements; and a drive commandgenerator configured to generate drive commands for driving theinjection molding machine so as to cause the elements belonging to thesame group to operate in the set order while causing an elementbelonging to another group to operate independently from the elementsbelonging to the same group.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a control methodfor an injection molding machine, of issuing commands for operations ofmultiple elements that operate during the period of mold closing of amold or during the period of mold opening of the mold in an injectionmolding machine, includes: an operation starting condition setting stepof, for at least part of the multiple elements, setting an operationstarting condition of one element of the elements that operates inconjunction with another element of the elements by an operatoroperating an operation unit; a group setting step of making settings soas to classify the multiple elements based on the set operation startingconditions of the elements so that elements that operate in conjunctionwith each other belong to the same group; an operation sequence settingstep of setting order of the operations of the elements belonging to thesame group based on the set operation starting conditions of theelements; and a drive command generating step of generating drivecommands for driving the injection molding machine so as to cause theelements belonging to the same group to operate in the set order whilecausing an element belonging to another group to operate independentlyfrom the elements belonging to the same group.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily set theoperations of a plurality of elements that are operated during theperiod of mold closing or mold opening.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrativeexample.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an injectionmolding machine and a control device for controlling the injectionmolding machine;

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a core setting operation setup screendisplayed on a display unit;

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a core setting operation confirmationscreen displayed on the display unit;

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a core pulling operation setup screendisplayed on a display unit;

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a core pulling operation confirmationscreen displayed on the display unit;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation flow of mold closing and coresetting in accordance with drive commands generated by a drive commandgenerator;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation flow of mold opening and corepulling in accordance with drive commands generated by a drive commandgenerator;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control flow of setting up core settingoperations performed in a control device;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control flow of setting up core settingoperations performed in a control device;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing interlocking data;

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a setting operation setup screen displayedon a display unit;

FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a setting operation confirmation screendisplayed on a display unit;

FIG. 9C is a diagram showing a pulling operation confirmation screendisplayed on a display unit; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow of mold opening and corepulling operations in accordance with drive commands generated by adrive command generator.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

[Configuration of Injection Molding Machine]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an injectionmolding machine 10 and a control device 12 for controlling the injectionmolding machine 10. The injection molding machine 10 has a screwrotation motor 14, an injection motor 16, a mold opening/closing motor18, an ejector motor 20, a core operation actuator 22, and a peripheraldevice communication unit 24.

The screw rotation motor 14 is a motor for driving the screw of aninjection mechanism in a rotating direction. The injection motor 16 is amotor for driving the screw in the axial direction. As the screwrotates, resin material is moved inside a cylinder toward a nozzle.While back pressure is applied to the screw by the injection motor 16,the screw is rotated by the screw rotation motor 14 to thereby perform ametering operation of supplying a predetermined amount of resin to thefront end of the cylinder. Then, the screw is moved toward the nozzle bythe injection motor 16 so as to perform an injecting operation ofinjecting the resin material in the cylinder from the nozzle into themold. After the mold is filled with the resin material, the screw iskept pressed toward the nozzle by operation of the injection motor 16,thereby performing a pressure holding operation to apply pressure to theresin material until the gate is hardened.

The mold opening/closing motor 18 is a motor for driving a movableplaten of a mold clamping mechanism relative to a stationary platen.That is, the movable platen is moved toward the stationary platen by themold opening/closing motor 18 to thereby close the mold, whereas themovable platen is moved away from the stationary platen to thereby openthe mold.

The ejector motor 20 is a motor for driving an ejector pin provided inthe movable platen. The ejector pin is driven by the ejector motor 20 toperform an ejector operation for removing the molded article or productfrom the moving mold half provided on the movable platen. The coreoperation actuator 22 is a hydraulic cylinder or the like, and is anactuator for performing a core setting operation to set a core to themold and a core pulling operation to retract the core from the mold.

The peripheral device communication unit 24 communicates with peripheraldevices such as a molding unloading device 26 and a vacuum evacuationdevice 28. The peripheral device communication unit 24 performs a signaloutput operation of outputting communication signals to the controldevice 12. The control device 12 transfers communication signals outputfrom the peripheral device communication unit 24 to the moldingunloading device 26 and the vacuum evacuation device 28. Further, thecontrol device 12 transfers communication signals output from themolding unloading device 26 and the vacuum evacuation device 28 to theperipheral device communication unit 24. The peripheral devicecommunication unit 24 performs a signal input operation for inputtingcommunication signals sent from the control device 12.

The molding unloading device 26 is a device for performing an unloadingoperation to unload or take out the molding from the injection moldingmachine 10. When the mold opening is completed, the injection moldingmachine 10 transmits a communication signal requesting an unloadingoperation from the peripheral device communication unit 24 to thecontrol device 12. The communication signal requesting an unloadingoperation is transferred from the control device 12 to the moldingunloading device 26. Upon receiving the communication signal requestingan unloading operation, the molding unloading device 26 starts anunloading operation of the molded product. As the unloading operation ofthe molding is completed, the molding unloading device 26 transmits acommunication signal notifying the completion of the unloading operationto the control device 12. The communication signal notifying thecompletion of the unloading operation is forwarded from the controldevice 12 to the peripheral device communication unit 24.

The vacuum evacuation device 28 is a device for performing a vacuumevacuating operation to evacuate the interior of the mold. When the moldclosing is completed, the injection molding machine 10 transmits acommunication signal requesting a vacuum evacuating operation from theperipheral device communication unit 24 to the control device 12. Thecommunication signal requesting a vacuum evacuating operation istransferred from the control device 12 to the vacuum evacuation device28. Upon receiving the communication signal requesting the vacuumevacuating operation, the vacuum evacuation device 28 opens a valvebetween a vacuum tank and the mold and starts the vacuum evacuatingoperation.

As the valve between the vacuum tank and the mold is completely opened,the vacuum evacuation device 28 transmits to the control device 12 acommunication signal notifying the completion of opening of the valve.The communication signal notifying completion of opening of the valve isforwarded from the control device 12 to the peripheral devicecommunication unit 24.

[Configuration of Control Device]

The control device 12 includes an operation unit 30, a display unit 32,an operation starting condition setting unit 34, a group setting unit36, an operation sequence setting unit 38, a displaying order settingunit 40, a drive command generator 42, a display control unit 44, acommunication transfer unit 46. The control device 12 forms a displaydevice 48.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a setup screen 50 for the operator to setconditions for starting core setting operations (hereinafter referred toas a setting operation setup screen 50) displayed on the display unit32. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a confirmation screen 52 for confirmingthe core setting operations (hereinafter referred to as a settingoperation confirmation screen 52) displayed on the display unit 32. FIG.3A is a diagram showing a setup screen 54 for the operator to designateconditions for starting core pulling operations (hereinafter referred toas a pulling operation setup screen 54) displayed on the display unit32. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a confirmation screen 56 for confirmingthe core pulling operations (hereinafter referred to as a pullingoperation confirmation screen 56) displayed on the display unit 32.

The operation unit 30 includes a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, andthe like, and is operating by the operator to thereby input informationto the control device 12. The display unit 32 is a liquid crystaldisplay or the like, and displays characters, symbols, drawings andothers.

In the control device 12 of the present embodiment, the operatoroperates the operation unit 30 to designate or set the startingconditions for setting operations and pulling operations for four cores1 to 4, on the setting operation setup screen 50 and the pullingoperation setup screen 54 displayed on the display unit 32,respectively.

The operation starting condition setting unit 34 sets the startingconditions of core setting operations or core pulling operations, inaccordance with the operator's input through the operation unit 30. Thegroup setting unit 36, based on the starting conditions set in theoperation starting condition setting unit 34, makes settings so as toclassify the multiple cores so that cores that operate in conjunctionwith each other belong to the same group.

The operation sequence setting unit 38, based on the set startingconditions of the core's operations, sets the order of the operations ofthe cores belonging to the same group. The displaying order setting unit40 sets the order of displaying multiple fields F each showing adifferent group on the display unit 32. The display control unit 44controls the display unit 32 to display the setting operation setupscreen 50, the setting operation confirmation screen 52, the pullingoperation setup screen 54, the pulling operation confirmation screen 56,and the like.

The drive command generator 42 generates drive commands for driving thescrew rotation motor 14, the injection motor 16, the moldopening/closing motor 18, the ejector motor 20 and the core operationactuator 22 of the injection molding machine 10.

The communication transfer unit 46 transfers communication signals sentfrom the injection molding machine 10 to the molding unloading device 26and the vacuum evacuation device 28. Further, the communication transferunit 46 transfers the communication signals sent from the moldingunloading device 26 and the vacuum evacuation device 28 to the injectionmolding machine 10.

[Setting Operation Setup Screen]

In the present embodiment, on the setting operation setup screen 50shown in FIG. 2A, the starting conditions for the setting operations offour cores 1 to 4 are set. Further, on the pulling operation setupscreen 54 shown in FIG. 3A, the starting conditions for the pullingoperations of the four cores 1 to 4 are set.

The setting operation setup screen 50 is composed of setting operationstarting condition selecting sections 58A to 58D and option settingsections 60A to 60D. The operator operates the operation unit 30 tothereby select one of “mold closing start”, “during mold closing”,“continuation”, and “parallel” for each of the setting operationstarting condition selecting sections 58A to 58D, whereby the startingconditions of the setting operations for cores 1 to 4 are set.

When “mold closing start” is selected, a core setting operation isstarted at the same time as the mold starts to be closed. When “duringmold closing” is selected, the associated one of option setting sections60A to 60D is displayed. The operator may enter an arbitrary position ofthe movable mold into the associated one of the option setting sections60A to 60D. When “during mold closing” is selected, the movable mold ismoved to the position entered into the associated option setting section60A-60D in the course of closing the mold and the mold closing operationof the mold is stopped, then the core setting operation is started. InFIG. 2A, since “during mold closing” is not selected in the settingoperation starting condition selecting sections 58A, 58C and 58D, theoption setting sections 60A, 60C and 60D are not displayed.

The operator can select one of “continuation 1”, “continuation 2”,“continuation 3” and “continuation 4” for “continuation”. For example,when “continuation 2” is selected in the setting operation startingcondition selecting section 58C, the setting operation of the core 3 isstarted when the setting operation of the core 2 is completed.

For the “parallel”, the operator can select one of “parallel 1”,“parallel 2”, “parallel 3” and “parallel 4”. For example, when “parallel3” is selected in the setting operation starting condition selectingsection 58D, the setting operation of the core 4 is started when thesetting operation of the core 3 is started.

The pulling operation setup screen 54 is composed of core pullingoperation starting condition selecting sections 61A to 61D and optionsetting sections 62A to 62D. The operator operates the operation unit 30to thereby select one of “mold opening start”, “during mold opening”,“after ejector”, “continuation” and “parallel” for each of the pullingoperation starting condition selecting sections 61A to 61D, whereby thestarting conditions of the pulling operations for cores 1 to 4 are set.

When “mold opening start” is selected, a core pulling operation isstarted at the same time as the mold starts to be opened. When “duringmold opening” is selected, the associated one of option setting sections62A to 62D is displayed. The operator can enter an arbitrary position ofthe movable mold into the associated one of the option setting sections62A to 62D. When the “during mold opening” is selected, the movable moldis moved to the position entered into the associated option settingsection 62A-62D in the course of opening the mold and the mold openingoperation of the mold is stopped, then the core pulling operation isstarted. FIG. 3A shows a state where none of the option setting sections62A to 62D are displayed since the “during mold opening” is not selectedin any of the pulling operation starting condition selecting sections61A to 61D. When “after ejector” is selected, the core pulling operationis started after the ejector operation is completed.

The operator can select one of “continuation 1”, “continuation 2”,“continuation 3” and “continuation 4” for “continuation”. For example,when “continuation 3” is selected in the pulling operation startingcondition selecting section 61B, the pulling operation of the core 2 isstarted when the pulling operation of the core 3 is completed.

The operator can select one of “parallel 1”, “parallel 2”, “parallel 3”and “parallel 4” for “parallel”. For example, when “parallel 3” isselected in the pulling operation starting condition selecting section61D, the pulling operation of the core 4 is started when the pullingoperation of the core 3 is started.

[Setting Operation Confirmation Screen]

When the starting conditions of the core setting operations are set asshown in FIG. 2A, the setting operation confirmation screen 52 isdisplayed on the display unit 32 as shown in FIG. 2B. In the presentembodiment, the group setting unit 36 makes settings so as to classifythe cores 1 to 4 so that cores that operate in conjunction with eachother belong to the same group. When the starting conditions of the coresetting operations are set as in FIG. 2A, the cores 2, 3 and 4 operatein conjunction with each other, whereas the core 1 operatesindependently from the other cores. In this case, the group setting unit36 sets the cores 2, 3 and 4 so as to belong to one group 1, and alsosets the core 1 so as to belong to another group 2.

On the setting operation confirmation screen 52, as shown in FIG. 2B, afirst field FA for the group 1 and a second field FB for the group 2 areshown. In the first field FA, a second symbol SB, a third symbol SC, anda fourth symbol SD respectively indicating operations of the core 2, thecore 3 and the core 4 belonging to the group 1 are displayed. In thesecond field FB, a first symbol SA indicating the operation of the core1 belonging to the group 2 is displayed. Since the symbols S indicatingthe operations of cores are displayed on the group fields F, theoperator can easily distinguish the cores that operate in conjunctionwith each other and the core that operates independently.

The operation sequence setting unit 38 sets the order of the settingoperations of the cores 2, 3 and 4 belonging to the group 1, inaccordance with the conditions for starting the setting operations ofthe cores 2, 3 and 4. Then, the second symbol SB, the third symbol SCand the fourth symbol SD are displayed in the first field FA accordingto the thus set order in such a manner as to clarify or visualize thetime-sequential relationship.

When the starting conditions of the setting operations are set as shownin FIG. 2A, the core 1 set to “mold closing start” and the core 2 set to“during mold closing” each are a core that is first operated among thecores belonging to each group. In the following, the core that is firstoperated among the group may be referred to as a leading core. Thesecond symbol SB indicating the operation of the core 2, which is theleading core of the group 1, is displayed in the first field FA, whilethe first symbol SA indicating the operation of the core 1, which is theleading core of the group 2, is displayed in the second field FB. Thenthe third symbol SC indicating the operation of the core 3 set to“continuation 2” is displayed on the right side of the second symbol SB.Furthermore, the fourth symbol SD indicating the operation of the core 4set to “parallel 3” is displayed under the third symbol SC. Also, linesare displayed in the first field FA to connect between the second symbolSB, the third symbol SC and the fourth symbol SD. In FIG. 2B, thepassing of time is set from left to right.

Thus, by displaying the symbols S indicating operations of cores in theset time-sequential order in each group field F, it becomes easy for theoperator to grasp the order of operations of the cores that operate inconjunction with each other.

The order of displaying the first field FA and the second field FB isset by the displaying order setting unit 40. That is, the displayingorder setting unit 40 sets the displaying order of displaying the firstfield FA and the second field FB, taking into account the startingcondition of the setting operation of the core 2 which is the leadingcore of the group 1 and the starting condition of the setting operationof the core 1 which is the leading core of the group 2.

In FIG. 2A, since the starting condition of the setting operation of thecore 1 is set to “mold closing start” and the starting condition of thesetting operation of the core 2 is set to “mold closing”, the settingoperation of the core 1 is started earlier than the setting operation ofcore 2. In this case, the second field FB is displayed on the left sideand the first field FA is displayed on the right side. Further, thesecond field FB is illustrated as a rectangular shape while the firstfield FA is illustrated as a pentagon having a triangular protrusion onthe right side. Thus, by displaying the group fields F so as to clarifyor visualize the time-sequential relationship according to the setorder, the operator can roughly grasp the start timing of the coresetting operations of the cores belonging to each group. Further, sincethe first field FA is illustrated as a pentagon having a triangularprotrusion on the right side, it is possible to indicate the directionof passing of time, that is, the passing of time is set from left toright in FIG. 2B. It should be noted that the direction of passage oftime is not necessarily indicated by the shape of the first field FA butmay be indicated using an arrow or the like.

[Pulling Operation Confirmation Screen]

When the starting conditions of the core pulling operations are set asshown in FIG. 3A, the pulling operation confirmation screen 56 isdisplayed on the display unit 32 as shown in FIG. 3B. The display methodof the pulling operation confirmation screen 56 is substantially thesame as the display method of the setting operation confirmation screen52. In the following, the pulling operation confirmation screen 56 willbe described focusing on differences from the setting operationconfirmation screen 52.

In the present embodiment, the group setting unit 36 makes settings soas to classify the cores 1 to 4 so that cores that operate inconjunction with each other belong to the same group. When the startingconditions of the core pulling operations are set as shown in FIG. 3A,the cores 2, 3 and 4 operate in conjunction with each other, whereas thecore 1 operates independently from the other cores. In this case, thegroup setting unit 36 sets the cores 2, 3 and 4 so as to belong to onegroup 3, and sets the core 1 so as to belong to another group 4.

On the pulling operation confirmation screen 56, as shown in FIG. 3B, athird field FC for the group 3 and a fourth field FD for the group 4 areshown. In the third field FC, a second symbol SB, a third symbol SC, anda fourth symbol SD respectively indicating operations of the core 2, thecore 3 and the core 4 belonging to the group 3 are displayed. In thefourth field FD, a first symbol SA indicating the operation of the core1 belonging to the group 4 is displayed. It is noted that, since thestarting condition of the pulling operation of the core 1 is set to“after ejector”, a fifth symbol SE indicating the ejector operation isdisplayed in FIG. 3B. In this manner, a symbol S indicating an operationof an element other than cores may be displayed.

The operation sequence setting unit 38 sets the order of the pullingoperations of the cores 2, 3 and 4 belonging to the group 3, inaccordance with the conditions for starting the pulling operations ofthe cores 2, 3 and 4. Then, the second symbol SB, the third symbol SCand the fourth symbol SD are displayed in the third field FC accordingto the thus set order in such a manner as to clarify or visualize thetime-sequential relationship. Also, lines are displayed in the thirdfield FC to connect between the second symbol SB, the third symbol SCand the fourth symbol SD.

The operation sequence setting unit 38 sets the order of the pullingoperation of the core 1 and the ejector operation, in accordance withthe starting condition of the pulling operation of the core 1 belongingto the group 4. Then, the first symbol SA and the fifth symbol SE aredisplayed in the fourth field FD according to the set order in such amanner as to clarify the time-sequential relationship. Also, a lineconnecting between the first symbol SA and the fifth symbol SE isdisplayed in the fourth field FD. In FIG. 3B, the passing of time is setfrom left to right.

The order of displaying the third field FC and the fourth field FD isset by the displaying order setting unit 40. That is, the displayingorder setting unit 40 sets the displaying order of displaying the thirdfield FC and the fourth field areas FD, based on the starting conditionof the pulling operation of the core 3 which is the leading core of thegroup 3 and the starting condition of the pulling operation of the core1 which is the leading core of the group 4.

In FIG. 3A, since the starting condition of the pulling operation of thecore 3 is set to “mold opening start” and the starting condition of thepulling operation of the core 1 is set to “after ejector”, the pullingoperation of the core 3 is started earlier than the pulling operation ofthe core 1. In this case, the third field FC is displayed on the rightside of the fourth field FD. Further, the third field FC is illustratedas a rectangular shape while the fourth field FD is illustrated as apentagon having a triangular protrusion on the left side. Thus, thisillustration makes it possible to indicate the direction of passing oftime, that is, time passing from left to right in FIG. 3B. It should benoted that the direction of passage of time is not necessarily indicatedby the shape of the fourth field FD but may be indicated using an arrowor the like.

[Drive Command Generation]

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a control flow of mold closing and coresetting operations based on drive commands generated by the drivecommand generator 42. FIG. 4 shows an example of the case that thestarting conditions of core setting operations are set as shown in FIG.2A.

When the mold closing operation of the mold is started, the settingoperation of the core 1 is started. Since the setting operation of thecore 1 is independent of the operations of the other elements, thesetting operation of the core 1 is started at an arbitrary time afterstart of the mold closing operation, and the setting operation of thecore 1 is completed before the mold closing operation is completed.

As the mold reaches the position of 150 mm, the mold closing operationis stopped and the setting operation of the core 2 is started. When thesetting operation of the core 2 is completed, the setting operation ofthe core 3 is started. When the setting operation of the core 3 starts,the setting operation of the core 4 is also started. When the settingoperations of the core 3 and core 4 are completed, the mold closingoperation is restarted, so that the mold closing operation is completed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a control flow of mold opening and corepulling operations based on drive commands generated by the drivecommand generator 42. FIG. 5 shows an example of the case that thestarting conditions of core pulling operations are set as shown in FIG.3A.

When the mold opening operation is started, the core pulling operationof the core 3 is started. When the core pulling operation of the core 3starts, the core pulling operation of the core 4 is also started. Whenthe core pulling operation of the core 3 is completed, the core pullingoperation of the core 2 is started. The pulling operation of the core 2is completed before the mold opening operation is completed. When theejector operation is completed, the pulling operation of the core 1 isstarted. The pulling operation of the core 1 is completed before themold opening operation is completed.

The operator selects the starting condition in the setting operationstarting condition selecting sections 58A to 58D and the pullingoperation starting condition selecting sections 61A to 61D to therebyset the starting condition for the operation of one element (a dependentelement or a slave element) (second element) that operates inconjunction with the operation of another element (a subject element ora master element) (first element). For example, in the setting operationstarting condition selecting section 58C of FIG. 2A, the operator setsthe starting condition for the setting operation of the core 3 (adependent core or a slave core) (second core) that operates inconjunction with the setting operation of the core 2 (a subject core ora master core) (first core).

The drive command generator 42 sets the start timing and the startingorder for core operations, based on the starting conditions of theoperation of one core (a dependent core or a slave core) (second core)that operates in conjunction with the operation of another core (asubject core or a master core) (first core), and generates drivecommands for driving respective elements. In other words, without theneed for the operator to specify the start timing and the number in thestarting order one by one for each core operation, simply by setting thestarting condition of the operation of one core (a dependent core or aslave core) (second core) that operates in conjunction with theoperation of another core (a subject core or a master core) (firstcore), the drive command generator 42 sets the start timing and thestarting order of the operation of each core.

[Core Operation Setting Process]

FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing a control sequence of setting upcore setting operations performed in the control device 12. Thefollowing description illustrates a control sequence of core settingoperations. The sequence of core pulling operations can also be setsimilarly.

At step S1, the operation starting condition setting unit 34 sets thestarting condition of the setting operation of each core based on thecontents selected by the operator in the setting operation startingcondition selecting sections 58A to 58D on the setting operation setupscreen 50. Then, the control proceeds to step S2.

At step S2, the operation starting condition setting unit 34 createsinterlocking data 64. The control then proceeds to step S3. FIG. 8 is adiagram showing the interlocking data 64. The group setting unit 36analyzes the starting condition of each core setting operation andcreates the interlocking data 64. The interlocking data 64 includesinformation on whether or not a core (subject core) is the leader of thegroup and information on another core interlocking (operated inconjunction) with the core. The information on the other coreinterlocking with the core may include information on another core whosesetting operation is started before the start of the setting operationof the subject core, information on another core whose setting operationis started at the same time with that of the subject core, andinformation on another core whose setting operation is started aftercompletion of the setting operation of the subject core.

At step S3, the group setting unit 36, based on the interlocking data64, makes setting so as to classify the cores so that cores that operatein conjunction with each other belong to the same group. Then, thecontrol proceeds to step S4. At step S4, the operation sequence settingunit 38 sets the order of the setting operations of the cores belongingto the same group based on the interlocking data 64, and the controlproceeds to step S5.

At step S5, the drive command generator 42 generates drive commands fordriving the core operation actuator 22, and the control proceeds to stepS6. For the cores belonging to the same group, the drive commandgenerator 42 generates drive commands so that each setting operation canbe started in accordance with the order set by the operation sequencesetting unit 38. For the cores belonging to different groups, the drivecommand generator 42 generates drive commands so that the settingoperations can be started independently.

At step S6, the displaying order setting unit 40 sets the order in whichfields F showing the set groups are displayed on the setting operationconfirmation screen 52, and the control proceeds to step S7. Thedisplaying order setting unit 40 sets the order of displaying the fieldsF on the setting operation confirmation screen 52, based on the startingcondition of the setting operation of the leading core among the coresbelonging to each group.

At step S7, the core 1 is selected in the display control unit 44, andthe control proceeds to step S8. At step S8, it is determined whether ornot the selected core is the leading core in the group. If the selectedcore is the leading core of the group, the control proceeds to step S9,and if the selected core is not the leading one of the group, thecontrol proceeds to step S13.

At step S9, the display control unit 44 controls the display unit 32 soas to display the field F indicating the group to which the selectedcore belongs, on the setting operation confirmation screen 52, and thecontrol proceeds to step S10. At step S10, the display control unit 44controls the display unit 32 so as to display a symbol S indicating theoperation of the selected core in the displayed field F, and the controlproceeds to step S11.

At step S11, the display control unit 44 determines whether or not thereis a core operated in conjunction with the selected core, based on theinterlocking data 64. If there is a core operated in conjunction withthe selected core, the control proceeds to step S12, and if there is nocore interlocking with the selected core, the control proceeds to stepS13.

At step S12, the display control unit 44 controls the display unit 32 todisplay a symbol S indicating the operation of the core interlockingwith the selected core, in the field F indicating the group to which theselected core belongs, and the control is returned to step S11.

At step S13, the display control unit 44 determines whether or not thesymbol S indicating a core operation has been already displayed on thesetting operation confirmation screen 52 for all the cores. When thesymbol S indicating a core operation has been already displayed for allthe cores, the control is terminated. If there is a core for which thesymbol S indicating the core operation has not yet been displayed, thecontrol proceeds to step S14. At step S14, a next core is selected, andthe control is returned to step S8.

[Operation Effect]

In a case where multiple cores are set in the mold, in order to avoidcausing damage to the mold, interlocking conditions, such as a conditionthat the setting operation of the core 3 must be performed aftercompletion of the setting operation of the core 2, are imposed.Conventionally, there has been a system in which the order of coreoperations is set by arranging the operations of multiple cores in atime-sequential order, but it has been a tedious and cumbersome work forthe operator to set up the multiple core operations while consideringsuch interlocking conditions. Besides, when the operator tries to modifythe settings of core setting operations, it is necessary to change thecore operations one by one while taking the interlocking conditions intoconsideration, which results in an increase in workload.

To deal with this, in the present embodiment, the group setting unit 36is used to classify the multiple cores so that cores that operate inconjunction with each other belong to the same group, based on the setstarting condition of each core setting operation. Then, the operationsequence setting unit 38 sets the order of the operations of the coresin the same group, based on the set starting conditions of the coreoperations. Further, the drive command generator 42 is configured togenerate drive commands so as to actuate the cores belonging to the samegroup in accordance with the set order, and generate drive commands soas to actuate cores belonging to another group independently.

Owing thereto, the operator only has to set the starting condition ofthe operation of each core which operates in conjunction with theoperation of another core, with consideration for the interlockingconditions, and the start timing and the starting order of individualcore operations are set by the drive command generator 42. Therefore,the operator can easily set the order of core operations.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment, the operator sets the starting conditions ofcore setting operations and the starting conditions of core pullingoperations, separately. In the second embodiment, the operator sets onlythe starting conditions of core setting operations, and the order of thecore pulling operations is set up as the reverse order of the coresetting operations.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a setting operation setup screen 50displayed on the display unit 32. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a settingoperation confirmation screen 52 displayed on the display unit 32. FIG.9C is a diagram showing a pulling operation confirmation screen 56displayed on the display unit 32.

The setting operation setup screen 50 (FIG. 9A) of the presentembodiment has a reverse order selecting section 66 added to the settingoperation setup screen 50 (FIG. 2A) of the first embodiment. Theoperator can select “ON” or “OFF” in the reverse order selecting section66 by operating the operation unit 30.

When “ON” is selected in the reverse order selecting section 66, thesetting operation confirmation screen 52 shown in FIG. 9B is displayedon the display unit 32 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Inthis embodiment, the pulling operation confirmation screen 56 shown inFIG. 9C is further displayed on the display unit 32. On the pullingoperation confirmation screen 56, the fields F indicating differentgroups and the symbols S indicating core operations are displayed inreverse order of the sequential order shown in the setting operationconfirmation screen 52.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow of mold opening and corepulling operations based on drive commands generated by the drivecommand generator 42. When “ON” is selected in the reverse orderselecting section 66, the control flow of mold closing and core settingoperations based on the drive commands generated by the drive commandgenerator 42 is similar to that in the first embodiment, as shown inFIG. 4. When “ON” is selected in the reverse order selecting section 66,the control flow of mold opening and core pulling operations based onthe drive commands generated by the drive command generator 42 isimplemented in reverse order of FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 10.

It should be noted that the reverse order selecting section 66 may beprovided on the pulling operation setup screen 54 so as to display thesetting operation confirmation screen 52 and generate drive commands ofcore setting operations, based on the starting conditions of corepulling operations set through the pulling operation setup screen 54.

[Operation and Effect]

In the present embodiment, when the starting conditions of core settingoperations are set on the setting operation setup screen 50, the orderof core pulling operations is reversed with respect to the order of thecore setting operations. As a result, the operator can set the order ofpulling operations merely by setting the starting conditions of the coresetting operations on the setting operation setup screen 50.

[Modifications]

In the first embodiment, the starting condition of the setting operationof a core (a dependent core or a slave core) that operates inconjunction with the setting operation of another core (a subject coreor a master core) is set on the setting operation setup screen 50.Similarly, the starting condition of the pulling operation of a core (adependent core) that operates in conjunction with the pulling operationof another core (a subject core) is set on the pulling operation setupscreen 54.

The setting operation or the core pulling operation of the subject coremay be replaced by any one of a mold closing operation for closing themold, a mold opening operation for opening the mold, an ejectoroperation for ejecting the molded article from the mold, an unloadingoperation for taking out the molded article from the injection moldingmachine 10, and a signal output operation for outputting a communicationsignal from the injection molding machine 10 to the control device 12.

The setting operation or the pulling operation of the dependent core maybe replaced by any one of a mold closing operation for closing the mold,a mold opening operation for opening the mold, an ejector operation forejecting the molded article from the mold, a cycle start operation whichis the first operation to be performed in a molding cycle of theinjection molding machine 10, an injecting operation of injecting theresin into the mold, a pressure holding operation of applying pressureto the resin material until the gate is hardened after filling the moldwith the resin material, a metering operation for measuring the amountof resin material to fill the mold, and a signal input operation forinputting a communication signal from the control device 12 to theinjection molding machine 10. Note that the cycle start operation isusually a mold closing operation, but may be another operation such asplacing a sheet in the mold.

[Technical Concepts Obtained From Embodiment]

Technical concepts that can be grasped from the above embodiment will bedescribed below.

The control device (12) of the injection molding machine (10), forcontrolling operations of multiple elements that operate during theperiod of mold closing or during the period of mold opening in theinjection molding machine (10), includes: the operation startingcondition setting unit (34) configured to, for at least part of themultiple elements, set the operation starting condition of a dependentelement (a second element or a slave element) of the elements thatoperates in conjunction with a subject element (a first element or amaster element) of the elements, by the operator operating the operationunit (30); the group setting unit (36) configured to make settings so asto classify the multiple elements based on the set operation startingconditions of the elements so that elements that operate in conjunctionwith each other belong to the same group; the operation sequence settingunit (38) configured to set the order of the operations of the elementsbelonging to the same group based on the set operation startingconditions of the elements; and the drive command generator (42)configured to generate drive commands for driving the injection moldingmachine (10) so as to cause the elements belonging to the same group tooperate in the set order while causing an element belonging to anothergroup to operate independently from the elements belonging to the samegroup. Thereby, the operator can easily set the order of operations ofthe elements.

In the above control device (12) of the injection molding machine (10),the operation of the first element may be one of an operation of a moldcore, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, an ejectoroperation, a molded article unloading operation, and a signal outputoperation for outputting a signal from the injection molding machine(10) to a peripheral device (26, 28) of the injection molding machine(10). Thereby, the operator can easily set the order of operations ofthe elements.

In the above control device (12) of the injection molding machine (10),the operation of the second element may be one of an operation of a moldcore, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, an ejectoroperation, a molding cycle starting operation, an injecting operation, apressure holding operation, a metering operation, and a signal inputoperation for inputting a signal from a peripheral device (26, 28) ofthe injection molding machine (10) to the injection molding machine(10). Thereby, the operator can easily set the operation order of theelements.

In the above control device (12) of the injection molding machine (10),for at least part of the multiple elements, the operation startingcondition setting unit (34) may be configured to set the operationstarting condition of the second element that operates in conjunctionwith the first element while the operation of the first element may be asetting operation of setting a first core into the mold, and theoperation of the second element is a setting operation of setting asecond core into the mold, or the operation of the first element is apulling operation of retracting a first core from the mold, and theoperation of the second element is a pulling operation of retracting asecond core from the mold. Thereby, the operator can easily set theorder of operations of the cores.

In the above control device (12) of the injection molding machine (10),when the operation starting condition of the second core that operatesin conjunction with the setting operation of the first core has beenset, the operation sequence setting unit (38) may set the order of thepulling operation of the first core and the pulling operation of thesecond core so as to be performed in reverse order of that in which thesetting operation of the first core and the setting operation of thesecond core are performed. As a result, the operator can set the orderof the pulling operations of the cores simply by setting the startingconditions of the core setting operations or the starting conditions ofthe core pulling operations.

A control method for the injection molding machine (10), of issuingcommands for the operations of a plurality of elements that operateduring the period of mold closing or during the period of mold openingin an injection molding machine (10), includes: an operation startingcondition setting step of, for at least part of the multiple elements,setting the operation starting condition of a dependent element (asecond element or a slave element) of the elements that operates inconjunction with a subject element (a first element or a master element)of the elements by an operator operating an operation unit (30); a groupsetting step of making settings so as to classify the multiple elementsbased on the set operation starting conditions of the elements so thatelements that operate in conjunction with each other belong to the samegroup; an operation sequence setting step of setting the order of theoperations of the elements belonging to the same group based on the setoperation starting conditions of the elements; and a drive commandgenerating step of generating drive commands for driving the injectionmolding machine (10) so as to cause the elements belonging to the samegroup to operate in the set order while causing an element belonging toanother group to operate independently from the elements belonging tothe same group. Thereby, the operator can easily set the order ofoperations of the cores. Thereby, the operator can easily set the orderof operations of the elements.

In the above control method for the injection molding machine (10), theoperation of the first element may be one of an operation of a moldcore, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, an ejectoroperation, a molded article unloading operation, and a signal outputoperation for outputting a signal from the injection molding machine(10) to a peripheral device (26, 28) of the injection molding machine(10). Thereby, the operator can easily set the order of operations ofthe elements.

In the above control method for the injection molding machine (10), theoperation of the second element may be one of an operation of a moldcore, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, an ejectoroperation, a molding cycle starting operation, an injecting operation, apressure holding operation, a metering operation, and a signal inputoperation for inputting a signal from a peripheral device (26, 28) ofthe injection molding machine (10) to the injection molding machine(10). Thereby, the operator can easily set the operation order of theelements.

In the above control method for the injection molding machine (10), forat least part of the multiple elements, the operation starting conditionsetting step may set the operation starting condition of the second oneof the elements that operates in conjunction with the first one of theelements, and the operation of the first element may be a settingoperation of setting a first core into the mold, and the operation ofthe second element is a setting operation of setting a second core intothe mold, or the operation of the first element is a pulling operationof retracting a first core from the mold, and the operation of thesecond element is a pulling operation of retracting a second core fromthe mold. Thereby, the operator can easily set the order of operationsof the cores.

In the above control method for the injection molding machine (10), whenthe operation starting condition of the second core that operates inconjunction with the setting operation of the first core has been set,the operation sequence setting step may set the order of the pullingoperation of the first core and the pulling operation of the second coreso as to be performed in reverse order of that in which the settingoperation of the first core and the setting operation of the second coreare performed. As a result, the operator can set the order of thepulling operations of the cores simply by setting the startingconditions of the core setting operations or the starting conditions ofthe core pulling operations.

The present invention is not particularly limited to the embodimentdescribed above, and various modifications are possible withoutdeparting from the essence and gist of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control device of an injection molding machine,for controlling operations of multiple elements that operate during aperiod of mold closing of a mold or during a period of mold opening ofthe mold in an injection molding machine, the control device comprising:an operation starting condition setting unit configured to set anoperation starting condition of each of the elements that operatesduring either the period of the mold closing or the mold opening, eachoperation starting condition based on an input selected by an operatoroperating an operation unit; a group setting unit configured to analyzeeach operation starting condition selected by the operator to createdata based on each analyzed operation starting condition, the groupsetting unit configured to make settings with the created data toclassify the multiple elements based on the set operation startingcondition of each of the elements so that a first element and a secondelement that operates in conjunction with the first element belong to afirst group and a third element that does not operate in conjunctionwith the first element belongs to a second group that is different fromthe first group; an operation sequence setting unit configured to setorder of the operations of the first and second elements of the firstgroup; and a drive command generator configured to generate drivecommands for driving the injection molding machine so as to cause thefirst and second elements of the first group to operate in the set orderwhile causing the third element of the second group to operateindependently from the first and second elements of the first group. 2.The control device of the injection molding machine according to claim1, wherein the operation of the first element is one of an operation ofa mold core, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, anejector operation, a molded article unloading operation, and a signaloutput operation for outputting a signal from the injection moldingmachine to a peripheral device of the injection molding machine.
 3. Thecontrol device of the injection molding machine according to claim 1,wherein the operation of the second element is one of an operation of amold core, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, anejector operation, a molding cycle starting operation, an injectingoperation, a pressure holding operation, a metering operation, and asignal input operation for inputting a signal from a peripheral deviceof the injection molding machine to the injection molding machine. 4.The control device of the injection molding machine according to claim1, wherein: for multiple cores that operate during either the period ofthe mold closing or the mold opening, the operation starting conditionsetting unit is configured to set an operation starting condition ofeach of the cores; and the operation of the first element is a settingoperation of setting a first core into the mold, and the operation ofthe second element is a setting operation of setting a second core intothe mold, or the operation of the first element is a pulling operationof retracting the first core from the mold, and the operation of thesecond element is a pulling operation of retracting the second core fromthe mold.
 5. The control device of the injection molding machineaccording to claim 4, wherein, when the operation starting condition ofthe second core that operates in conjunction with the setting operationof the first core has been set, the operation sequence setting unit isconfigured to set order of the pulling operation of the first core andthe pulling operation of the second core so as to be performed inreverse order of that in which the setting operation of the first coreand the setting operation of the second core are performed.
 6. A controlmethod for an injection molding machine, of issuing commands foroperations of multiple elements that operate during a period of moldclosing of a mold or during a period of mold opening of the mold in aninjection molding machine, the control method comprising: an operationstarting condition setting step of setting an operation startingcondition of each of the elements that operates during either the periodof the mold closing or the mold opening, each operation startingcondition based on an input selected by an operator operating anoperation unit; a group setting step of analyzing each operationstarting condition selected by the operator to create data based on eachanalyzed operation starting condition and making settings with thecreated data to classify the multiple elements based on the setoperation starting condition of each of the elements so that a firstelement and a second element that operates in conjunction with the firstelement belong to a first group and and a third element that does notoperate in conjunction with the first element belongs to a second groupthat is different from the first group; an operation sequence settingstep of setting order of the operations of the first and second elementsof the first group; and a drive command generating step of generatingdrive commands for driving the injection molding machine so as to causethe first and second elements of the first group to operate in the setorder while causing the third element of the second group to operateindependently from the first and second elements of the first group. 7.The control method for the injection molding machine according to claim6, wherein the operation of the first element is one of an operation ofa mold core, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, anejector operation, a molded article unloading operation, and a signaloutput operation for outputting a signal from the injection moldingmachine to a peripheral device of the injection molding machine.
 8. Thecontrol method for the injection molding machine according to claim 6,wherein the operation of the second element is one of an operation of amold core, a mold closing operation, a mold opening operation, anejector operation, a molding cycle starting operation, an injectingoperation, a pressure holding operation, a metering operation, and asignal input operation for inputting a signal from a peripheral deviceof the injection molding machine to the injection molding machine. 9.The control method for the injection molding machine according to claim6, wherein for multiple cores that operate during either the period ofthe mold closing or the mold opening, the operation starting conditionsetting step sets on operation starting condition of each of the cores;and the operation of the first element is a setting operation of settinga first core into the mold, and the operation of the second element is asetting operation of setting a second core into the mold, or theoperation of the first element is a pulling operation of retracting thefirst core from the mold, and the operation of the second element is apulling operation of retracting the second core from the mold.
 10. Thecontrol method for the injection molding machine according to claim 9,wherein when the operation starting condition of the second core thatoperates in conjunction with the setting operation of the first core hasbeen set, the operation sequence setting step sets order of the pullingoperation of the first core and the pulling operation of the second coreso as to be performed in reverse order of that in which the settingoperation of the first core and the setting operation of the second coreare performed.